Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Breakfast or Brunch’ Category

Jul 19

80 Comments

Gluten Free Cherry Crisp

cup of crisp

cup of crisp

Crisps or Cobblers or buckles or whatever you want to make are a really simple and delicious way to enjoy summer fruit or berries. I have been wanting to try working with some different flours other than wheat and bought some barley flour. This crisp is so simple and quick to make and I must say the crumble or crisp part is wonderful, I used oats, barley flour, almond flour, butter and organic brown sugar. I bought already pitted and preserved sour cherries, I don’t have a cherry pitter. It took almost no time at all to put this together and I had it for breakfast this morning, don’t judge, think about it, grains, fruit, why not? It would also make a smashing dessert!! I’m also very excited that this is my 300th post!!

Crisp or Crumble

1 stick salted butter softened

1 cup oats (I used Bobs Red Mill, certified GF)

1/2 cup barley flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

Mix until it’s all incorporated and set aside.

The cherries and make the crisp:

1 quart cherries (I used sour)

Scant 1/2 cup brown sugar (If using sweet cherries only use 1/4 cup)

2 tbs tapioca starch

pinch of sea salt

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cherries, tapioca, sugar and salt together and pour into baking dish. I used a rectangular approximately 8×11. Distribute the crumble topping on the cherries, sprinkle with a little course brown sugar (like demerara or Hains organic brown. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes or until crumble topping is browned and the fruit is bubbly.

I like to serve with a little heavy cream poured on while it’s hot.

IMG_8884

 

 

Jun 19

72 Comments

A Guest Post, Light French Crepes

 

Crepes Suzette courtesy Elsa La Pintade Aixouse

Crepes Suzette courtesy Elsa La Pintade Aixouse

This beautiful recipe comes all the way from France from the beautiful Elsa of La Pintade Aixoise.  Now anyone who has read my blog on a fairly consistent basis knows I am a big fan of Julia child. I have used her recipe for crepes for much longer than I care to admit and it’s perfect, I love it, but I am always excited to try a new recipe especially one that is “light. Elsa’s crepes contain no butter in the batter and I was skeptical but you know what, it really produces a wonderfully light crepe. Who knew. I always trust the French when it comes to the culinary arts, they know their stuff.  This post was actually supposed to be a part of my basics series a few months ago but Elsa had a baby and was away from blogging for a while.  I am so happy she is back and posting again. I do love her blog, there are several fantastic blogs that I follow from France and they are all amazing. Look at her post for the classic Crepe Suzette or her gorgeous Macaron or her Apple Cardamom Tarts

I had to try her recipe and it was easy to make and the crepes are perfect. Be sure to let your batter sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Have melted butter and brush ready to brush onto your crepe pan and make sure the pan is hot enough before adding the batter and swirl and swirl so that you have a thin coating on the entire pan. It’s really easy and crepes are always impressive and I love that they can be breakfast or an elegant dinner or dessert. The recipe makes a lot of crepes, I like to freeze them with a sheet of parchment in between each crepe and slipped into a ziplock bag.  Remove what you need let come to room temperature and heat in the oven or quickly in a fry pan.

Breakfast crepes

Breakfast crepes

Light french crêpes

Unlike pancakes, the french crêpes are very thin. The light can be seen through.
For 20 items of 8 inches diameter :

Pastry flour: 8.8 ounce
Salt: 2 pinch
Eggs: 4 large
Half fat milk: 2 US cups
+
A flavor of your choice:
1tsp of rhum or triple sec (orange alcool),
1tsp of orange flower water,
1 packet of vanilla sugar,
a grated citrus peel…
+
Butter or shortening for cooking

Pour pastry flour and salt in a bowl. Dig a well and put eggs into it.
Stir with a whisk. Keep carefully stirring in the center of the bowl, flour and eggs will stir together and lumps will be avoided.

Add 1/3 milk and the flavor of your choice, keep stirring at the center. Then add little by little the rest of the milk till the batter be completely homogeneous.
Whisk firmly two or three time perfectly scrubbing the edges of the bowl.Let the batter rest during an hour before cooking.

Stir the batter.
In a hot 8 inches diameter frying pan, let melt a 1/2 tsp of butter and drop the excendent with absorbing paper. Stir on the frying pan a 1/4 cup of the batter.
Turn quickly the frying pan to spread the batter very thinly all over it.
When edges of the crêpe get golden and move away from the frying pan, flip the crêpe with a wooden spatula and get the other side golden.

May 19

71 Comments

Crunchy Nutty Granola And Mary’s Secret Ingredient Box

Granola

Granola

I received my Spring Box of Mary’s Secret Ingredient from the lovely Mary Frances at Love the Secret Ingredient a while ago, my intention was to write a post about it and use the ingredients in a recipe and do that right away, Shortly after I received my box I started working for a different company, that has taken up a lot of my time and energy and I also became sick and had to alter my diet significantly. Any food I have made I have had to give away with only a tiny taste for me to check on seasoning. Included in my box were some really fantastic items:

Calmer Sutra Tea- Peppermyntie Tea and Ginger Infused Honey

Flathau’s Fine Foods Chipotle Cheese Straws

Harmonium Oregano from wild crafted plants

Loacker Quadratini’s Dark Chocolate

Nueskes Applewood smoked Landjaeger sausages

Sweetwater Spice Company Pineapple Habanero Jerk BBQ Bath Brine

I decided to use the ginger infused honey to make some granola and it is probably the best granola I have ever had. It’s my own recipe and have posted it here before with a few minor changes. The boney is incredibly delicious and very gingery (is that a word???) Well anyway it really tastes and smells like fresh ginger and drizzling on the granola before you bake infuses the flavor into some of it, so it’s like a surprise in every bite.

NOTE: The amounts are approximate, I don’t measure when I make granola.  

Marys secret ingredient

Marys secret ingredient

Ingredients:

Makes a lot of granola

Oats approximately 3 cups (Not quick cook) I used Quaker old fashioned

Almonds chopped or coarsely ground (approximately 1 1/2 cups)

pecans some whole some broken into pieces (approximately 1 1/2 cups)

Unsweetened Coconut flakes (approximately 1 1/2 cup)

Maple Syrup (approximately 1/2 cup)

Brown Sugar (approximately 1/2 cup packed)

olive oil (approximately 1/2 cup)

Ginger infused honey (about 2 heaping tbs)

Sea salt

Pour all ingredients except ginger infused honey into large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pre heat oven to 300 degree’s. Spread onto sheet pan and drizzle with the ginger infused honey. Bake stirring occasionally until golden brown. It takes about 30-40 minutes. Let cool on pan and then transfer to air tight container for storage.

 

Ginger honey

Ginger honey

May 11

59 Comments

Happy Mothers Day Blueberry Waffles

 

Breakfast in Bed

Breakfast in Bed

Mothers Day Breakfast is homemade  blueberry waffles with melted butter and real maple syrup. My favorite waffle recipe is on Food52, Aretha Frankensteins Waffles of Insane Greatness. They really are wonderful, light, crispy and utterly addictive. I sometimes like to add blueberries either frozen or fresh to the batter. I always double the recipe because I freeze them and heat in the toaster or oven, they make a fantastic quick breakfast!

Serves 2 to 4
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk or buttermilk (or a combination)
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional blueberries, frozen or fresh at least a cup
Butter and pure maple syrup, for serving
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
Heat a waffle iron. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and pure maple syrup or hold in a 200 degree oven, directly on the rack (don’t stack them or they’ll get soggy). These also reheat very well in the toaster.

I want to wish all of you a very Happy Mothers Day I hope you are going to relax and spend time with loved ones. Have a wonderful day!

Ready to Freeze

Ready to Freeze

Mothers Day

Mothers Day

Mothers

Mothers

 

 

Mar 9

90 Comments

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

Really, there are countless recipes out there in cyberspace, print and in our recipe files. I feel like there is always room for one more in my repertoire when it stands out. I like my muffins cakey rather than well, like a quick bread I have run across several in my culinary travels that have fit the bill. I saw these on pinterest (I think) and they sounded really good. Cake flour so they are light, vegetable oil so they are super moist and yogurt, not just for flavor but additional moistness and of course lots of blueberries. The muffins are from Alton Brown of Food Network. I have mad respect for Mr. Brown, his scientific and entertaining approach to cooking is wonderful.

I like these muffins a lot, it was my first time using this recipe and I will definitely use it again. I followed the directions for the most part exactly as written except for 2 things. I didn’t have fresh blueberries, I used frozen and they worked out just fine and I sprinkled a little organic sugar on the top of the muffins before baking. The muffin tops are crisp and a little crunchy and every bite gives you blueberry. One other last tip, if using frozen blueberries, toss them in 1 tbs flour, don’t reserve one tbs of the dry ingredients as indicated in the recipe.

Blueberry Muffins – Alton Brown

Makes 12 muffins

12 1/2 ounces cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Vegetable spray, for the muffin tins
Directions

Preheat oven to 380 degrees F.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg and yogurt. Add the dry ingredients reserving 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss with the blueberries. Stir mixture for a count of 10. Add 1 cup blueberries to mixture and stir 3 more times. Reserve the 1/2 cup of blueberries.

Using a #20 ice cream scoop, add the mixture to greased muffin pans. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of berries on top of muffins and press down lightly. Place into the oven and increase the temperature to 400 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Remove from oven and turn out, upside down on tea towel to cool completely. Serve immediately or store in airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Moist and loaded with blueberries

Moist and loaded with blueberries

Feb 6

67 Comments

The Basics- Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise

Hollandaise

Julia Child calls this one of the Mother sauces. I love Hollandaise, probably because it’s a crucial component for my favorite meal, Eggs Benedict and right there with that is asparagus with Hollandaise. It’s creamy, buttery, citrusy, I could almost drink it, well not really but I do really like it. The classic method of preparation is to whisk over a double boiler which is how the recipe will be written here. I can’t always be bothered to do this and I take a shortcut, blender Hollandaise, pouring the hot butter into a whirring blender or food processor (much like the mayonnaise) the hot butter heats the yolks and is blended into a delicious creamy thick sauce.

Asparagus with hollandaise

Asparagus with hollandaise

Hollandaise Sauce

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups

3 egg yolks

big pinch of salt

1 tbs lemon juice ( I like it very citrusy so I add some lemon zest also)

2 tbs cold unsalted butter

2 sticks ( 8 oz) unsalted butter melted

salt and pepper to taste

Beat the egg yolks with a wire whisk in a stainless steel saucepan for a minute or two until they thicken lightly and turn lemon colored. Whisk in the salt and lemon juice and add 1 tbs cold butter. Set over moderate low heat and whisk continuously at moderate speed. remove pan from heat now and then to make sure the yolks aren’t cooking too fast. When they cling to the wires of the whisk and you can see the pan between strokes, remove from heat and stir in the 2nd tbs of cold butter. Start beating in the melted butter by little dribblets at first, until a good 1/2 cup of the sauce has thickened, then add the rest of the melted butter a little more quickly as the sauce thickens into the consistency of heavy cream. Taste and correct seasoning.

I cut corners because I cannot really hand whisk so I thought why not try a blender or food processor. It comes together in minutes and works well. I whiz the egg yolks, lemon, lemon zest and salt until light and creamy, now add the 2 tbs of cold butter and whiz together and  drizzle in the melted butter with the blender or processor running, stop when thick and creamy. If you have leftover sauce, refrigerate no more than a day or two and heat GENTLY in double boiler.

Troubleshooting Hollandaise:

If you have added the butter too fast for the egg yolks to digest it, or if you’ve kept the sauce over heat too long, it can thin out or separate. To bring back to a creamy state, whisk briefly to blend and add a tablespoon into a bowl, whisk in a tbs of lemon juice and whisk vigorously until creamy. Now whisk in very little dribbles of the turned sauce gradually increasing the amount until is is all creamed and has reconstituted.

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict

YUM!

YUM!

Variation:

Bernaise Sauce with steak is one of lifes great pleasures. It is basically hollandaise with some vinegar, shallot and taragon. To make Bernaise to a small saucepan add 1/4 cup white wine vinegar and 1/4 cup white wine, 1 tbs minced shallot, 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until it reduces to 2 tbs. Use this in place of the lemon juice and reduce the butter to 1 1/2 sticks. Optional add chopped fresh tarragon at the end.

Jan 15

61 Comments

Oats for Breakfast- Two Quick And Easy Recipes That I love!!

Oatmeal Pancakes

Oatmeal Pancakes

When I first started my blog I tried every month or so to feature another blogger and one of their recipes, I really enjoyed doing that and it was a great way to introduce those who read my blog to someone they may not know. I don’t really know why I stopped doing that and I am going to start again. So to start out 2014 here is my first entry, I’m sure many of you know both and if you don’t you really should visit their blogs.

One of the blogs I love and follow is  Shashi the “Runninsrilankan“, she is a super fit Mom writing about fitness and food,   her recipes are delicious, healthful and easy to prepare from ingredients most of us have in our pantries. I saw her most recent post, Oatmeal Pancakes, read the ingredients and directions and thought WOW, these are easy to make, healthful and who doesn’t love pancakes for breakfast (or lunch or dinner). I had an appointment yesterday so whipped up a batch before I left and had a wonderful breakfast that really stuck with me. Honestly, I like these better than pancakes made from wheat flour. Now I did make one minor change to her recipe, instead of almond milk I used whole cows milk, next time I will use the almond milk. I’m telling you this is such an easy and delicious recipe, it has been placed in my regular breakfast rotation. Now Shashi said the recipe is for 1 serving but I made 4 pancakes which for me is 2 servings. Yesterday I had for breakfast and dinner, in the morning I had it with blueberries and in the evening with a nice knob of butter and grade B maple syrup. Yes, I had them twice in one day, they are that good. You can find the recipe by clicking here. Note: I found that letting the batter sit for an hour or so makes for a thicker fluffier pancake.

Overnight oats

Overnight oats

The second recipe is from Tamara at Pretty Bitches Can Cook Too, I was instantly drawn to this because first of all it’s healthful, second there is no cooking and third you make it the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator all night and in the morning grab and eat. It’s also really delicious and you can tailor to your taste. I made two of them one strawberry and one blackberry. Tamara makes with greek yogurt and coconut milk, I used plain kefir and instead of the agave I used a couple of tsp’s of honey in each, I also added some almonds that I whizzed in the food processor. This is such a satisfying meal that is no fuss at all. You may remember Tamara from a few months ago, I did a guest post on her blog and she sponsored a give away of her fabulous salsa. Visit her site here to find the recipe. You have to give this a try, its fantastic.

May 2

77 Comments

I Am A Finalist In Whole Foods Contest!!!!!

I am so excited my recipe for Brown Rice Risotto is a finalist in the Whole Foods contest for whole grain breakfast. If you would not mind voting for my recipe it would be greatly appreciated, if you don’t want to vote thats ok too!! I am so thrilled that they chose my recipe. You can click here to vote if you don’t mind, and today is my birthday, what a great gift!!!

Brown Rice Risotto

Brown Rice Risotto

Apr 18

73 Comments

Chive And Cheddar Buttermilk Waffles And White Gravy

Chive and cheddar buttermilk waffles

Chive and cheddar buttermilk waffles and gravy

This is an old recipe I created for my recipe collection on Food52. It’s sort of Southern, primarily because of the white gravy. Now you may think that waffles are only meant to be eaten with syrup or fruit but they are delicious as a savory dish, I thought this would be nice also for Spring since I use spring onions and chives. It’s delicious with pork chops, topped with a poached egg or eaten alone. I added cheese to the waffle batter along with buttermilk making them tangy. If you have never had white gravy before you are in for a treat, it’s delicious. My Mom always made white gravy with pork chops or chicken fried steak or chicken. This is my take on biscuits and gravy. Diet food, definitely not but nice for a splurge.

Serves 4-6

Gravy:

  • 6 spring onions chopped using the white and light green
  • 6-8 slices thick cut bacon cut into bite size pieces
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbs flour
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • OPTIONAL: 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary (I like it if I am serving pork chops)
  1. Fry the bacon bits in saute pan until browned, remove from pan and save the fat you will use that for the gravy. Turn flame to med/low and add the spring onion (and optional rosemary) and saute until the onions are soft and translucent then add the flour, whisk until it’s combined with the fat and let cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk and add the bacon let cook until it thickens, add salt and pepper. Pour over the waffles and garnish with chives.

Waffles:

  • 2 large eggs separated
  • 1 3/4 -2 cup buttermilk (start with 1 3/4 cup if you need more add if too thick)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks, buttermilk and melted butter add the cheddar cheese and chives and stir to combine. In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Whip the egg whites until they form a peak, don’t overbeat but they should be quite stiff. Combine the wet and dry ingredients just until almost smooth, now fold in the egg whites. Heat waffle iron, spray with cooking spray or brush with oil or butter and cook the waffles according to the directions for your waffle maker.

Apr 8

52 Comments

Brown Rice Breakfast Risotto With Walnut Topping

Brown Rice Risotto

Brown Rice Risotto

The latest Whole Foods Recipe Contest is all about breakfast and whole grains. The weather is starting to get warmer but decided to create a warming healthful breakfast for the last vestiges of cool weather. This is not a quick on the go sort of breakfast (unless you make it the night before), it takes a good 30-40 minutes to cook but when dealing with whole grains you expect to take a little longer to prepare. I used short grain brown rice, milk (almond milk works great also), dates to sweeten and topped with some maple sweetened toasted walnuts. I love risotto and breakfast risotto is wonderful, You can easily make this the night before (thats what do) and either serve cold or heat it. No added sugar, whole grain brown rice is a healthful way to start your day!
Serves: 2
2/1/2-3 cups milk or almond milk
1/2 cup brown arborio or short grain rice
3-4 medjool dates pitted and chopped The dates really sweeten this use less for lightly sweetened risotto.
2 tbs butter (One tbs to saute dates and the other tbs when risotto is finished)
pinch of salt
Garnish
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tbs maple syrup
Add milk to medium saucepan and bring to simmer on med/low heat or heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes to get it hot. Place butter  in saute pan, add chopped dates and cook until softened, add rice and saute until rice is coated with the butter approximately 3 minutes.
Slowly add the milk a cup at a time to the rice, stirring until milk is absorbed and adding more until all of it is used. Add the remaining tbs of butter. Rice will be toothsome, total cooking time is about 30-40 minutes  NOTE: I didn’t add any additional sweeteners, the dates did the job for me, add a little sweetener of your choice if you like. I always have extra liquid ready when making risotto, the whole grain brown rice takes longer to cook and may need more liquid, I needed the full 2 1/2 cups of milk.
While risotto is cooking, pre heat your oven to 350, line small sheet pan with parchment, place walnuts and maple syrup in a small bowl and toss to combine, spread on sheet pan and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or just until you can smell the nuts. Remove from oven and give a rough chop.
To serve: Spoon risotto into bowl, sprinkle some of the nuts on top, add fresh fruit also, I like blueberries.
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »